1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of sales transactions, and, more particularly, to helping customers select lesser congested checkout lanes.
2. Related Art
In virtually all physical store locations, customers check out at a checkout lane. Checkout lanes typically include a Point-of-Sale (POS) system, having various input devices (e.g., keyboard, card reader, barcode scanner, etc.) and various output devices (e.g., cashier and/or customer facing displays, receipt printer, etc.). Checkout lanes can include a cashier (a store employee) or can be self-service.
Depending on the size of a store, the number of checkout lanes can range from one to many dozen. As the number of checkout lanes increases (and span greater physical distances), it can be difficult for a customer to identify a checkout lane with the shortest wait time for checking out. A customer can walk by various different checkout lanes visually inspecting the checkout lanes (e.g., number of customers in line, number of items customers have for purchase, etc.) to determine which checkout lane might provide the quickest checkout. However, by the time a customer considers various different checkout lanes, the wait time at one or more of the various different checkout lanes can change. For example, right after a customer walks by a checkout lane, another customer with a large number of items may queue up at the checkout lane. On the other hand, a number of customers in a checkout lane may pay cash and have close to exact change, freeing up the checkout lane more quickly than expected.
In many, if not all, store environments customers have no way to tell, other than from their own observations, how fast a checkout lane might be. Thus, customers are typically relegated to making a best guess based on their own observations when initially selecting a checkout lane. Further, even after a checkout lane is initially selected, a customer has no assurances that the selected checkout was or continues to remain a good choice. Thus, customers typically continue to watch other checkout lanes to see if they were or have become a better choice. Guessing the correct checkout lane can be a source of anxiety for customers. Checkout lane selection can also lead some customers to become angry. Either of these outcomes can have a negative impact on customer experience.